Where is the best place to get antimony?

[blasternank]

Where do you get it? Any place better than another? Do you know if there are places to look in local markets or do you need to order it out? Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

[farmerjim]

Rotometals super hard. 30% antimony.
Click on their add at the top of page.

[bangerjim]

Yes. Buy it already alloyed in a mix like above. You will never be able to melt pure Sb and alloy it due to it's melt temp of 1,167F. Let someone who actually knows how melt/alloy it for you and buy their pre-alloyed mix. I use Superhard easily when I need a touch of Sb mixed with pure and Sn.

And the various oxides of Sb (created when melting it) are just as deadly as various oxides of Pb.

banger

[Rcmaveric]

Super Hard or Lead shot is the best source of antimony. It doesnt take a lot. Scrap bullet cores haven to be usefull.

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[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Over that last few years, I have scrounged Linotype and other "type" metals, for my use in blending boolit alloy.
Where? that's a good question.
Surprisingly the local Gunshow has been the best place. Craigslist has produced some for me. A local acquaintance of mine has a "cleanout business" and as part of that, he does metal scrapping, he has found all sorts of lead and lead alloys (including "Type" metal) for me...for a price ;)
Keep your eye peeled, and mention to your friends, sometimes alloy will pop up in the most unusual situations.

[Burnt Fingers]

Yes. Buy it already alloyed in a mix like above. You will never be able to melt pure Sb and alloy it due to it's melt temp of 1,167F. Let someone who actually knows how melt/alloy it for you and buy their pre-alloyed mix. I use Superhard easily when I need a touch of Sb mixed with pure and Sn.

And the various oxides of Sb (created when melting it) are just as deadly as various oxides of Pb.

banger


Hmmm....you can dissolve Sb in molten lead, you need small pieces and lots of rosin. That's what the Antimony Man told ya when one purchased antimony from him.

A simple web search will find information on how to do it.

[bangerjim]

Might be, but I sure would not waste my time and effort "trying" it.

Just buy Superhard. You know the exact % concentration. You know it melts easily. You know it works. Every time. I've got 50# of it I tap ever so often.

Why mess with success and re-invent the wheel. One does not need much % Sb these days anyway. A 5# hunk of Super will go a long way. Most seem to be shooting VERY soft alloys + PC these days with excellent success, eliminating the need for Sb all together. Old school alloys are pretty much a thing of the past.

[Conditor22]

the Antimony Man sold it in powdered form (if I remember right)

[Wm Cook]

I’ve always bought 90-5-5 from Rotometal and have never mixed my own. But I have 20 lb of lead from Rotometal and was about to buy a pound of tin and a pound of antimony to salvage the lead. So since the melt temp for antimony is so high would that not work? How else could I come up with the equivalent of #2 Lyman? Apologize, don’t mean to hijack the thread but it’s kind of relevant. Thanks, Bill Cook.

[garandsrus]

There are t least a couple alloy calculating spreadsheets on the site that will help you make my mix you want, if you know what you re starting with.

I do have some pure antimony but have never tried to alloy it. I believe that Marvelux flux was normally called for. It is supposed to make a mess in the pot so i haven’t done that either. I use type metal to add antimony.

[Wm Cook]

Messing up my pot was the first thing I thought of. Used to use Marvelux and it gave me housekeeping fits in my pot. I’ll try to find the calculator. Starting out all I have is the 20lbs of pure lead from Rotometal. Thanks.

[Goofy]

Old school alloys are pretty much a thing of the past.

My BP rifles are chucklin’ as are a few of the smokeless boomers.

[sleeper1428]

In actual fact, the Antimony Man (Bill) purchased (at least I assume he purchased) the antimony business from LETS (Leading Edge Tool Service (Tom)) and the antimony came in pulverized form, not powdered. LETS also sold a special flux that allowed the pulverized antimony to easily melt into whatever lead/tin mixture you happened to be using. I was lucky enough to be notified by Tom before he sold the business so I purchased several large jars of the pulverized antimony as well as a 65lb tub of the same pulverized antimony. I also picked up several large bottles of the special flux which as it turned out was quite hydrophilic and over the years has solidified in the jars. However, after consultation with Bill (The Antimony Man), I began just chipping chunks of the solidified flux out of the jar and then crushing the chunks up in a large mortar and pestle. Works like a charm so now I have essentially a lifetime supply of antimony that is easy to incorporate into my alloys to achieve whatever percentage of antimony that I want for my castings. Too bad someone couldn't have found out where LETS and then The Antimony Man were getting their pulverized antimony and that special flux. I've done a LOT of 'net searching and so far the only way I've found to get that flux (it is still available) is to purchase in bulk, minimum of 50lb drum. And pulverized antimony is still available but again, it's a matter of buying it in bulk, the minimum being way more than even a large club or group of people would likely use in many, many years. So as many have suggested, going to Rotometal and purchasing their high antimony content lead alloy is probably going to be the only way you're going to get antimony for your alloys for the foreseeable future.

[jimb16]

I had some pure antimony in crystal form. I crushed it with a hammer then added it with paraffin for flux into the lead. I stirred it in and it melted into the alloy with no real problem. I had it because someone gave it to me. Don't think I will ever bother with it again since I have round 75 pounds of lino and that should last me the rest of MY life.

[Wm Cook]

After all the research I fully agree that for me super hard is the only practical way to go. Now I need to do the math on how much lead and tin to add to the Super Hard Alloy (30% Sb, 70% Pb) to come up with 90-5-5 blend. I started out trying to use up the 20lbs of lead I got from Rotometal years ago and now I’m gonna have to find a smelting pot, propane burner, proper ladle and who knows what else. Love casting. There’s never a passing moment that you don’t learn something.

Before you know it I’ll be out at the gun club in the dark of night with a headlamp, pick ax and a wheelbarrow mining for the tons of bullets buried in the berm.

[bangerjim]

No math needed............just use the alloy calculator on here to determine how many pounds of "stuff" you need to get what you want.

(you may have to some simple addition! HA....ha! [smilie=b:)

[bangerjim]

I had some pure antimony in crystal form. I crushed it with a hammer then added it with paraffin for flux into the lead. I stirred it in and it melted into the alloy with no real problem. I had it because someone gave it to me. Don't think I will ever bother with it again since I have round 75 pounds of lino and that should last me the rest of MY life.

The problem (advised to me by chemists) is that making your own Sb powder creates a toxic dust of Sb that you can inhale. Not good! Just like Pb dust. Avoid at all costs.

Just buy pre-alloyed mixes with a known % Sb and use that with the alloy calculator to get your "magic witch's brew" you desire.

banger

[Rcmaveric]

https://www.rotometals.com/antimony-shot-1-pound-99-6-minimum-pure/

Pulverized antimony

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[bangerjim]

https://www.rotometals.com/antimony-shot-1-pound-99-6-minimum-pure/

Pulverized antimony

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That is little chunks/BB's/drips/hunks.....not powdered. Powdered is like grindings from your wheel grinder. Very fine particles that will alloy eventually with ~800F Pb. Still you do not know the % concentration. But buying it from Roto already alloyed you know it is a constant %. Why bother with making your own Sb alloy?

Even Roto says that on their website (in fine RED print) that it is VERY hard to melt and use.

Very hard to melt, -if you want o raise hardness we recommend you don't buy this and get the superhard alloy instead

[Rcmaveric]

Yall just said pulverized. Nothing is impossible and where there is a will there is a way.

While I would whole heartedly agree the super hard is the easy and recommended way. Its not the most cost affective.

I disagree with the math and concentrations. Its not an exact or rocket science nor does it need to be specific. I can take my range scraps and with my BHN test tell you its about 2% antimony. If I wanted to bump that up a percent I just add 3 oz of antimony to a 20lb pot. Alloy with a little sulfer and I just created a very similar alloy wheel weights. Heat treatable and all.

We have figured out how to alloy copper with lead. And how to mix zinc alloys. I think we could figure out how to add SB if we really wanted to.

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[Yooper003]

Midway has 5# ingots that are 30% antimony

[barefooter175]

I have pure antimony. I would be willing to sell some.

[MT Gianni]

The Antimony man had a special blend flux he claimed would allow it to allow to lead at home casting temps. Many have tried unsuccessfully to do so with out this flux. IIRC, Bill Ferguson has been gone a few years back. I know he sounded old in the 90's.

[dougader]

I just bought 40 pounds of monotype from a guy up near Olympia, WA. Monotype has a lot higher percentage of antimony in it than linotype does. IIRC, it was $2/pound plus shipping in a medium flat rate box.

[sixgunner452]

I use to be stationed at Ft Huachuca, AKA Sierra Vista, AZ...the town the Antimony man lived in. I spoke to him on several occasions buying Tin, etc. He was a fine old Man, readily shared his knowledge, helping me learn the cast bullet game, mixing tin etc. He even gave me an article by Ross Seyfried on how to rotate multiple molds at one time, which was revolutionary to me at the time. He is one of the good ones. Randy.

[bangerjim]

I too have a bunch of Sb. It is used in REDOX (reduction/oxidation) measurements as the measuring electrode in waste treatment destruction in industry. Normally they use a liquid junction for the measurement but REDOX solid Sb is used. I have a box of about 20 of the things somewhere.....left over when I cleaned out the stock when the company closed 30+ years ago.

I would never consider trying to grind/pulverize any of it up to alloy. I just buy the 30% alloy mix from Roto and use that. Simple. Clean. Safe. Easy.

And the Antimony Man here in Southern AZ died at least 6 or more years ago. Nice guy.

[405grain]

Just a couple of days ago I was reading an article about alloying metals. This wasn't about bullet casting, it was some metallurgical information for a project at work. In the article it discussed how using borax as a flux had the property of lowering the alloying temperature. Just now reading about this Antimony Man's special blend flux, and can't help but think that it might have been borax. Personally I would not try melting antimony into lead myself. I buy superhard from rotometals. Then I use the formulas in the LASC article about superhard to blend ingots of COWW alloy. It's way safer to let the experts alloy the Sb and Pb, then use that. Don't permanently risk your health for a temporary savings in cost.

[M-Tecs]

In actual fact, the Antimony Man (Bill) purchased (at least I assume he purchased) the antimony business from LETS (Leading Edge Tool Service (Tom)) and the antimony came in pulverized form, not powdered. LETS also sold a special flux that allowed the pulverized antimony to easily melt into whatever lead/tin mixture you happened to be using. I was lucky enough to be notified by Tom before he sold the business so I purchased several large jars of the pulverized antimony as well as a 65lb tub of the same pulverized antimony. I also picked up several large bottles of the special flux which as it turned out was quite hydrophilic and over the years has solidified in the jars. However, after consultation with Bill (The Antimony Man), I began just chipping chunks of the solidified flux out of the jar and then crushing the chunks up in a large mortar and pestle. Works like a charm so now I have essentially a lifetime supply of antimony that is easy to incorporate into my alloys to achieve whatever percentage of antimony that I want for my castings. Too bad someone couldn't have found out where LETS and then The Antimony Man were getting their pulverized antimony and that special flux. I've done a LOT of 'net searching and so far the only way I've found to get that flux (it is still available) is to purchase in bulk, minimum of 50lb drum. And pulverized antimony is still available but again, it's a matter of buying it in bulk, the minimum being way more than even a large club or group of people would likely use in many, many years. So as many have suggested, going to Rotometal and purchasing their high antimony content lead alloy is probably going to be the only way you're going to get antimony for your alloys for the foreseeable future.

Agree with everything you stated with one exception. Bill did sell chunk antimony. When I purchased mine that all he had left.